Frequently Asked Questions

Shamrock Farms hosts its own herd of more than 10,000 traditional and organic milking cows at our state-of-the-art farm in Stanfield, Arizona – just 54 miles from our Phoenix processing plant. We also partner with like-minded family farms, who share our commitment to never treat our cows with the growth hormone rBST and to treat our herd like family – making sure it has plenty of healthy food to eat, pleasant living conditions and the best possible care.

Our cows are special because they are family and we treat them with great attention and respect. The Shamrock Farms culture is built upon the idea that healthy, happy cows produce the best-tasting dairy. We believe it’s our responsibility to provide the best possible care for our herd and do such through our state-of-the art facilities and well-trained staff that ensures the cows receive nutritious diets, healthy living conditions, good medical care and are never treated with the growth hormone rBST. For more information, click here.

At Shamrock Farms, our cows are of the utmost importance! Proper animal care leads to happy, healthy cows and therefore, the production of high-quality milk. We believe it’s our responsibility to provide the best possible care for our herd and do so through state-of-the art facilities and well-trained staff. Our cows enjoy nutritious diets, healthy living conditions, excellent medical care and importantly, they are never treated with artificial growth hormones like rBST.

We have many measures in place to ensure optimal animal care require this same diligence among our partner farmers! To learn more, click here.

It is impossible for any milk product to be hormone-free. All cows naturally produce a hormone called BST. So if you are asking if Shamrock Farms uses artificial growth hormones or rBST on our herd of 10,000 cows, we don’t. In fact, we pledge not to treat our cows with the growth hormone rBST. Never have. Never will.

Yes, all of Shamrock Farms products are homogenized except for our heavy cream. Homogenization breaks down and blends milk and cream to give one uniform product. Non-homogenized products experience a separation of the cream, resulting in “cream on the top.” Heavy cream does not go through the homogenization process because the only ingredient in heavy cream is cream (nothing needs to be blended).

Because homogenization is standard practice in the U.S. and labeling products as homogenized is not required by law, we choose to dedicate labeling space to communicate other important product attributes such as our milk being free of the growth hormone rBST.

We guarantee the freshness of our dairy for a full seven days past the code date on the package when stored under proper conditions (approximately 38 degrees Fahrenheit). Once a dairy product has been opened, however, we recommend that it is fully enjoyed within seven days of opening and regardless of code date.

Shamrock Farms uses a process called ultra-pasteurization – or extended shelf life (ESL) – to produce our single-serve milks and Half & Half (32 oz. size and smaller). This simply means the milk is heated to 285º F for four seconds, as opposed to traditional pasteurization, where the milk is heated to at least 170º F for a minimum of 20 seconds.

As a result of this process and our airtight safety seal, our milk stays fresh on the shelves for much longer. And this ESL process has no effect on its taste or contents. In fact, the only thing we add in some of our milks are the vitamin fortifications you read on the label.

Remember, as with all of our farm-fresh dairy products, once you remove the freshness seal, we recommend you enjoy our milk within seven days.

For both safety and quality reasons, we do not recommend freezing any of our products (except for our premium ice creams and frozen novelties, of course). Our packaging is not suited for freezing, and we cannot guarantee that the product will remain at our standard of quality after freezing. The process of freezing, as well as keeping the product after its expiration date, might cause the texture, composition or taste of the product to change.

Yes. We offer Shamrock Farms Calcium Plus milk – a line of farm-fresh, great-tasting calcium fortified milk that provides 100% more calcium per 8-oz serving than regular milk to make it easy for families to get the calcium they need. And, Calcium Plus is offered in the innovative Smart Fit Bottle, a 96-oz value size that’s easy to carry, pour and store.

Yes! In response to consumer wants and needs, Shamrock Farms recently converted its flavored mmmmilk line – including sizes 8-32 fl.oz. – to be formulated without the use of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

All Shamrock Farms flavored mmmmilk is now formulated without the use of HFCS, and still delivers all the flavor, freshness, nutritional benefits and value our milk is known for.

Look for a new graphic call-out on packaging announcing this exciting news!

Yes, Shamrock Farms organic milk and organic sour cream. Our organic product line comes from our very own organic herd right at our farm. We’re the first and only dairy in Arizona to be offering organic milk, which is USDA-certified and made using the traditional pasteurization method.

For more information on our organic products and what makes our cows so organic, click here.

Our products are available nationwide. Click here to find which stores sell delicious Shamrock Farms dairy products in your area. If you do not see your local grocery or convenience store included, place product requests with store managers.

Our farm tour is not just a tour. It’s an adventure. It is an entertaining, educational experience where families and students meet the 10,000 cows who make our dairy so special. We have special field trip tours, public tours and even special events and parties. Call now to book your field trip, family tour, birthday party or corporate event at 602-477-2462. For more information, go to our Farm Tour Section.

Product safety and quality are our top priorities. As such, Shamrock Farms uses the safest plastic options available for its packaging, including HDPE (No. 2) for bottles and PP (No. 5) plastic for tub containers. Neither of these types of plastic has been indicated as leaching harmful chemicals or hormones such as BPA.

Shamrock Farms’ paperboard and gallon-milk containers are 100 percent recyclable. Also, we use only 100 percent recyclable HDPE for our extended shelf life plastic packaging. Both HDPE and PP plastic packaging are more easily recycled than other varieties, although these plastics are not recyclable in all states.

Shamrock Farms’ paperboard and gallon-milk containers are 100 percent recyclable. Also, we use only 100 percent recyclable HDPE for our extended shelf life plastic packaging. Both HDPE and PP plastic packaging are more easily recycled than other varieties, although these plastics are not recyclable in all states.